The Marvel Cinematic Universe is heading back to four movies a year. The release schedule change will begin following the conclusion of The Multiverse Saga.
Per Variety, Disney has added an untitled Marvel Studios movie with a Dec. 15, 2028, release date to its upcoming calendar. This would mark the fourth MCU movie scheduled for 2028, as the studio has previously set aside the dates of February 18, May 5, and November 10 for undisclosed movies. Marvel Studios has so far only released four movies in one calendar year once before, in 2021, when Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, and Spider-Man: No Way Home all opened within six months of each other.
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What MCU Movies Could Arrive in 2028?
The last Multiverse Saga movie is currently slated to be Avengers: Secret Wars on Dec. 17, 2027, with 2028 marking the start of the next saga, which is expected to be centered around the X-Men and the rest of the mutants that Marvel Studios reacquired following Disney‘s acquisition of 20th Century Fox. While all four 2028 release dates remain without an announced movie attached to them, there are several strong choices for what could end up on those dates.
Black Panther 3 seems furthest along in development, with Ryan Coogler confirmed to be returning as writer and director. Denzel Washington is expected to be part of the threequel’s ensemble cast, having let slip back in November that Coogler had written him a part. Variety hints that an untitled Fantastic Four sequel could be ready in time for 2028, while Blade and Armor Wars remain stuck in development hell roughly five years after their initial announcements.
There’s also an untitled X-Men reboot in development that Variety states will be directed by Jake Schreier, who was reported to be Marvel‘s “top choice” for the job and in early talks for the directing gig back in May. Schreier is already familiar with the MCU, having helmed the franchise’s most recent installment, Thunderbolts*. The crossover movie, secretly a New Avengers movie, brought together several fan-favorite characters, like Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), and Red Guardian (David Harbour), to go up against Sentry/The Void (Lewis Pullman).
At the time of writing, Marvel Studios‘ main priority is on Avengers: Doomsday, which began filming in April, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is slated to begin production this summer. The studio is also in the final weeks of marketing The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the highly anticipated reboot of Marvel‘s First Family, who haven’t been seen together on the big screen in a decade.
A lot is riding on The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the events of which are expected to lead directly into Avengers: Doomsday. Beyond MCU implications, however, the Fantastic Four franchise has never been a major critical or commercial success, making First Steps somewhat of a risky endeavor for Marvel Studios, especially since its recent theatrical slate has struggled to match the box office heights of MCU‘s Infinity Saga releases. However, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige remains confident in the movie, stating earlier this month that “there are no four characters that are more important for the history of Marvel” than the titular superhero team.